Family Attractions

El Paso Zoo.Photo by thinkstockphotos.com.

Your family's wild things will find suitable company with the 220 species showcased at El Paso Zoo. The African Star Train chugs past safari animals, and the "Animals of Asia" exhibition — with everything from tigers to tapirs — is equally notable. Plan ahead for the giraffe encounters, when kids can feed lettuce to the zoo's three males. The "Wings of the World" bird show swoops into the new Wildlife Amphitheater daily.

Kids have ample space to play at 400-acre Ascarate Park, one of the largest public recreational parks in the county. Tee off at the 18-hole municipal course or the nine-hole executive course. Cast for trout, catfish, and bass in the 48-acre lake; you can also rent canoes and pedal boats. Or splash around at the aquatic center, with its Olympic-size lap pool and children's area with waterslides.

Buckle up the kids for a car ride along Scenic Drive, a sinuous path that winds up the hills on the north side of town. Pull-outs and pocket parks along the way afford panoramic views over the 2 million–resident metropolitan area comprising El Paso and Ciudad Juárez. (To drive this route from downtown, take Stanton Road north and turn right on Rim Road.) On the way home, look back for views of the Star on the Mountain shining each night at dusk. Billed as the world's largest man-made illuminated star, it sparkles with 459 lights and has become a symbol of the city.

Attending a Chihuahuas Baseball game is a must for sports fans. The San Diego Padres Triple-A affiliate is up to bat at Southwest University Park from April to September. If the game doesn't capture your kids' attention, Chico's Playground, with its splash pad, inflatables, and play set, surely will. Football fanatics can plan ahead to attend University of Texas at El Paso Miners games throughout the fall season or the Sun Bowl, when teams from the ACC and Pac-12 face off.